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Metro
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Lee Jung-jae reveals moment he knew Squid Game would ‘define his career'
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae is now one of the most recognisable people on the planet. Before the dystopian Netflix series launched in 2021, he'd starred in An Affair in a breakthrough role, the 90s South Korean TV drama Sandglass, and films including Deliver Us From Evil and The Face Reader. Then, when he was cast as Seong Gi-hun, aka Player 456, in Squid Game, his career reached stratospheric new heights. The actor knew – he told Metro – that the character had the potential to be a 'career-defining role' for him. And he was right. The third and final season of the survival drama is now out on the streaming platform, bringing Gi-hun's story to a close in six gripping episodes that have left fans in floods of tears. When Gi-hun's journey began, he was a man facing financial ruin, separated from the mother of his child and trying to earn a buck by gambling. At a desperate moment, he's approached by the Recruiter (Gong Yoo) and invited to join the game… the deadly game that he'll eventually win, with a cash prize of 45.6 billion South Korean won (£24.4million). Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Even though creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had originally conceived of Squid Game as a one-season show, the final episode was left on a cliffhanger, with Gi-hun vowing for revenge against the person in charge of the game, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), a mission that fuelled his purpose in seasons two and three. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'Player 456, Gi-hun was put on an emotional rollercoaster in season one,' Jung-jae told us while we were sitting opposite him in a hotel in London, a day after the red carpet premiere. 'When I was reading the scripts for seasons two and three, I knew that he would be put on another rollercoaster, and even more so. So I thought, wow, if I just play this character very well, it's going to be a very amazing, career-defining role for me.' One can only imagine what it was like when the actor finally discovered what would happen to Gi-hun by the end of the show. And if you haven't watched it already, trust us… the ending is truly mind-blowing. 'When I read the very last page of the script for season three, it just exceeded all the expectations that I had,' the 52-year-old said. 'It really took me by surprise, and I remember having a lot of conversations with director Hwang about the finale.' The day before our sit-down interview, Metro also attended the premiere at London's Barbican Centre, where we asked Jung-jae how he hopes fans of Squid Game would feel by the time they reach the final episode of the series. 'I hope that after viewers watched the last episode, they will have been left with a sense of hope,' he said. More Trending 'It is not violence that we want to talk about, but it is really throwing the question, 'How do we as human beings want to live among ourselves and in harmony?' So I hope we can all try to find our own answers to that question.' Yes, Squid Game is an extremely violent show, one of the most graphically violent on TV without question. But it's true what the actor said – the main theme of the series isn't about physical acts of brutality, but questions of morality. Even if it spawned copycat shows that focus on the competition element of the programme, one would hope that people would reach the end of Squid Game feeling a greater sense of empathy for others and that key word – hope. Squid Game is available to stream on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: WWE fans in awe as 'freakish' star finally debuts after 12-month wait MORE: WWE star breaks 40-year record with controversial Night of Champions win MORE: 'It's a hell of a ride!' Your favourite shows like Squid Game
Hindustan Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae reveals when he will be able to say goodbye to his popular character Seong Gi-hun
Actor Lee Jung-Jae says he is yet to say goodbye to player number 456 or Seong Gi-hun of hit show Squid Game. The third and final season of Squid Game, the globally popular Netflix series, has wrapped production. Jung-Jae shot to international stardom with his performance as the perpetually down-on-his-luck yet kind-hearted Gi-hun in the first season of the smash hit Netflix series in 2021. He won a Primetime Emmy award and multiple other trophies for the show. (Also Read | Squid Game Season 3: Lee Jung-jae says he's 'very nervous' about fan reactions) Jung-Jae returned for the much-anticipated second season in 2024 and is now awaiting the release of the third season on June 27. 'We haven't released season three yet and we still don't know how the audiences are going to respond to season three, I haven't said goodbye to Gi-hun yet although we have wrapped production,' he said. "As an actor and as part of those that have created the show, I feel like seeing how the audience responds to it is also part of the journey. So when we get to do that, then I think I'll be ready to say goodbye," Jung-Jae told PTI in a virtual interview through the help of an interpreter. Squid Game, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, revolves around a deadly contest where 456 players, all facing financial hardship, play a series of deadly children's games to win 45.6 billion won in prize money. At the end of the first season, Gi-hun won the prize money but instead of going back to his life, he set out to end the deadly games for good. The second season saw Gi-hun return to the games with a mission — to uncover the true identity of the mastermind. Whether he succeeds in his mission or not will be revealed in the upcoming third season. Jung-Jae, 52, a renowned face in the South Korean film and television industry with credits such as An Affair, Il Mare, The Housemaid, Hunt and drama series Chief of Staff, said while playing Gi-hun he was reminded of values people tend to overlook in daily life. 'The biggest lessons that I felt by portraying Gi-hun and also through Squid Game, is that there are so many things that we think we are aware of, but we tend to forget in life,' he added. "Some of them being the importance of understanding other people and genuinely helping others when they are in need. Squid Game is definitely a show that has given me the opportunity to reflect and look back on these important messages," he said. The actor said people often ask how similar he is to Gi-hun, and he believes they share many traits. "As I'm the actor who portrayed Gi-hun, my own interpretation of the character went into creating him. So we are quite similar," he said. Asked about the reason why Korean storytellers tend to tackle issues like inequality and the gap between rich and poor with nuance, Jung-Jae said it is not unusual as the Korean entertainment industry loves to explore a variety of themes. "And these themes are explored in a very free way through which a lot of different messages can be conveyed. I think that's the power that recent Korean content has. Whether it's a social message or political or even if it's about romance, when we explore a particular theme, we dive into it, really get to the heart of it all, and try to express it in as free a way as possible. That's what's unique about Korean content and also why it's so powerful these days," he said. Season three of Squid Game will also feature Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, Im Si-wan, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Yang Dong-geun, Jo Yu-ri, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won.
Mint
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Yet to say goodbye to Seong Gi-hun: Lee Jung-jae on his popular Squid Game character
New Delhi, Jun 14 (PTI) South Korean Superstar Lee Jung-Jae says he is yet to say goodbye to player number 456 or Seong Gi-hun though the third and final season of "Squid Game", the globally popular Netflix series, has wrapped production. Lee shot to international stardom with his performance as the perpetually down-on-his-luck yet kind-hearted Gi-hun in the first season of the smash hit Netflix series in 2021. He won a Primetime Emmy award and multiple other trophies for the show. He returned for the much-anticipated second season in 2024 and is now awaiting the release of the third season on June 27. "We haven't released season three yet and we still don't know how the audiences are going to respond to season three, I haven't said goodbye to Gi-hun yet although we have wrapped production. "As an actor and as part of those that have created the show, I feel like seeing how the audience responds to it is also part of the journey. So when we get to do that, then I think I'll be ready to say goodbye," Lee told PTI in a virtual interview through the help of an interpreter. "Squid Game", created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, revolves around a deadly contest where 456 players, all facing financial hardship, play a series of deadly children's games to win 45.6 billion won in prize money. At the end of the first season, Gi-hun won the prize money but instead of going back to his life, he set out to end the deadly games for good. The second season saw Gi-hun return to the games with a mission — to uncover the true identity of the mastermind. Whether he succeeds in his mission or not will be revealed in the upcoming third season. Lee, 52, a renowned face in the South Korean film and television industry with credits such as "An Affair", "Il Mare", "The Housemaid", "Hunt" and drama series "Chief of Staff", said while playing Gi-hun he was reminded of values people tend to overlook in daily life. "The biggest lessons that I felt by portraying Gi-hun and also through 'Squid Game', is that there are so many things that we think we are aware of, but we tend to forget in life. "Some of them being the importance of understanding other people and genuinely helping others when they are in need. 'Squid Game' is definitely a show that has given me the opportunity to reflect and look back on these important messages," he said. The actor said people often ask how similar he is to Gi-hun and he believes they share many traits. "As I'm the actor who portrayed Gi-hun, my own interpretation of the character went into creating him. So we are quite similar," he said. Asked about the reason why Korean storytellers tend to tackle issues like inequality and the gap between rich and poor with nuance, Lee said it is not unusual as the Korean entertainment industry loves to explore a variety of themes. "And these themes are explored in a very free way through which a lot of different messages can be conveyed. I think that's the power that recent Korean content has. "Whether it's a social message or political or even if it's about romance, when we explore a particular theme, we dive into it, really get to the heart of it all, and try to express it in as free a way as possible. That's what's unique about Korean content and also why it's so powerful these days," he said. Season three of "Squid Game" will also feature Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, Im Si-wan, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Yang Dong-geun, Jo Yu-ri, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won.
